Adam McCalvy reports that Carlos Gomez has agreed to a one-year deal, avoiding arbitration once again. He did the same last year, settling for $1.1 million. I haven’t seen any official word on his 2011 salary yet, but the nature of the arbitration system means he’s probably in line for another small raise. He’s not exactly in a position to have much negotiating power, so $1.25 million seems fair, but it’s just a guess.
McCalvy also points out that this leaves the Brewers with five players still eligible for arbitration — Manny Parra, Kameron Loe, Shaun Marcum, Rickie Weeks, and the guy who’ll break the bank, Prince Fielder.
I’m sure there will be some groaning about Gomez coming back, but he does have value. Despite being a total non-factor with the bat, his defense helped him finish at 1.1 wins above replacement. He’ll definitely be in the race for the fourth outfielder spot based on defense alone, but his speed on the bases may also be appealing to new manager Ron Roenicke as a late-innings pinch runner.
UPDATE: Tom Haudricourt says that Gomez will be paid $1.5 million in 2011 (assuming he isn’t cut in spring training). I was off by a bit, but it’s not an egregious amount of money for him to be making — it amounts to a raise of roughly $400,000.
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